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Relegation is certainly haunting Palace at the moment. They are the eighth side to have picked up five or fewer points in their opening 12 games in the Premier League era – and the only team to stay up from that group is Everton in 1994/95.

Ruben Loftus-Cheek in the thick of it against Everton last week (Image: Getty)

The Eagles are five points adrift of Hodgson’s old team West Brom in fourth from bottom – but West Brom, in turn, are only five points off the top half.

If the elite are hoovering up more points from everyone outside the top six, there has been a suggestion that the old 40-point milestone might need to be downgraded, like last season when 35 would have been enough to stay up.

Hodgson said: “Yeah it’s a theory. My concern always is simple and pragmatic, I don’t give much thought to these subjects as people who are statically orientated.

“Every game we play gives us an opportunity for points and we have to start doing enough to get them. Hopefully sooner rather than later.

“At Fulham the points came right at the end but we don’t apportion points to games, everyone else does. I don’t do that myself. We prepare and go out believing we can get the three points even if the team we are facing on paper is arguably stronger.”